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Grasping at straws

Grasping at straws

Democrats lost the U.S. House, lost seats in state legislatures all over the country and lost every statewide office in Georgia last year. So what? They elected a new mayor in Winterville!

The Democratic Party of Georgia is citing, among other races, Emily Eisenman's win over incumbent Jim Mercer (I guess he's a Republican) as reason for the rank-and-file to get excited.

But that's not all. They also elected Democratic city councilmen in Nahunta. Don't call it a comeback!

From the DPG:

"With Tuesday’s election results nearly complete, Georgia Democrats are energized by the beginning of a Democratic resurgence and further confirmation that their '5% Solution' is winning crucial races.

"'Our goal is to increase Democratic performance in key areas across the state,' said Chairman Mike Berlon of the Democratic Party of Georgia. 'This election showed that we can do that, and that bodes well for our next statewide contest.'

"Women had an especially impressive night, with first time female mayors taking office in Snellville (Kelly Kautz) and in Albany, competing in a runoff (B.J. Fletcher and Dorothy Hubbard). Savannah welcomes Carol Bell and Estella Shabazz as new aldermen, and Winterville welcomes new mayor Emily Eisenman.

"'Increasing our performance by 5% creates the growth needed to regain our stature in state politics,' continued Berlon. 'It results in wins, sure, but it also shows us where our future victories will come from.'

"Other impressive victories include a win for John Hall over a Republican incumbent in the Savannah City Council race; Ed Johnson over a Republican incumbent for Fayetteville City Council, and rural Brantley County, which saw 5 Democrats elected in the town of Nahunta. In all, state Democrats retained seats, gained seats, or improved their numbers by over 5% in towns and communities throughout Georgia.

"On the national level, Democrats demonstrated an impressive show of force as well. Ohio defeated an anti-union bill supported by the Republican governor, with Mississippi voting down the anti-woman ‘personhood’ amendment. In Maine, voters restored same-day voter registration, a Democrat-backed law that was under attack by the national Republican party.

"'We have much to be thankful for,” concluded Berlon. 'Our work is not done in Georgia, but it’s good to see our new strategies bearing fruit in this great state.'"